That had been the Commander’s last order. She had been clear that Adara would be left behind if she wasn’t at the extraction point by the deadline. Just like every other member of her team, she was expendable. She knew capture would mean imprisonment or possibly even execution.

She tried to get a bead on her pursuer. She peered around the corner of the brick wall she was crouched behind and scanned the rooftop across the gap from the one she was on. The sky looked clear, but that didn’t reassure Adara in the slightest. She knew what her stalker was. A Protector. One of Velor’s finest. Stronger, faster, and tougher than any other opponent she had ever fought back on Aria.

Sensing her chance, she broke from her cover and made a dash for the edge of the roof. As she neared the side, she flexed her legs, and lept for the rooftop across the way. The distance was at least a good 120 feet across. An ordinary human would have plummeted to their death. Thankfully Adara wasn’t an ordinary woman. She cleared the distance easily, and rolled into the landing, as she jumped back to her feet.

As she stood up and dusted herself off, she scanned the area in front of her. The view was blocked by an even bigger office building that dwarfed the building she was on by at least another fifteen stories. Her extraction point was at the top of the glass and steel tower. She sighed, but squared her shoulders for the last task. She looked at the glass window panel across from her and caught her reflection. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and the dark blue of her pupils stood out even from this distance. Her form fitting black body-suit was showing wear and tear from her long rooftop trek.

The setting sun gave the reflection a deceptive look of sereneness. Adara began mapping her route through the tower in her mind when something caught her attention. At the corner of one of the higher window panes she caught the reflection of a solitary figure, simply hovering over the rooftop she had just been on. The sun shone around the figure, casting most of her features in shadow, as she slowly turned her head from side to side.

’Dammit!’ Adara thought. The Protector was scanning the area for her. She knew she had maybe fifteen seconds at best before was spotted. She had to move now, and without any further hesitation. She knew that as soon as she moved the Velorian would be on her. She aimed for the window directly ahead of her, took a very deep breath, and started another desperate dash.

Her peripheral vision could tell from the reflection,that the Protector was on to her. Adara reached the edge of this rooftop and leaped for the nearest window,bringing her arms up to shield her face from the glass. She closed her eyes bracing for that impact. It never came. She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection, the glass window was literally within arms reach.

The image of her body being held aloft by her pursuer was the last thing she was wanting to see. The arrogant sneer was all that was needed to remind Adara of how ugly this could get. The Velorian flexed her arms back and with little ease flung Adara through the window pane,shattering the glass,and back first into an office desk,which did little to slow her down. Finally impacting one of the interior walls, she hit the floor,and rolled to a stop. She just laid there for several seconds getting her second wind back.

The Protector hovered through the broken glass and landed against the rough carpet floor of the office and walked in towards Adara at a measured pace. She was clearly in no rush. “Are you hurt little Arion?”

Adara stood up slowly, bracing one arm against the wall. When she had gotten her bearings back, she took a combat stance. “I’ve had worse...Now if you will excuse me...I must be leaving.”

She smiled and seemed to barely hold back a chuckle. “You seem to be in a hurry to leave...” she gave a small sigh. “You have two options Arion. Just two.” she paused for effect. “Surrender and talk. Or try to run and I make your last few moments very unpleasant. Which will it be?”

“Only two options?” Adara scanned the room looking for anything that could help her get the advantage. She slowly motioned for her GAR pistol,strapped on her belt. “That's so pessimistic...”

“A pessimist is nothing more than an optimist with life experience.” she quipped in reply.

Adara drew the pistol with a practiced speed and grace and leveled it at her enemy and pulled the trigger. A bright blue energy bolt pulsed out and rushed towards the Velorian. Yet, in what seemed like a blur, the Velorian dodged to the right, as the energy passed right through the space she had just been occupying. Adara pulled the trigger two more times, with the same results. The Protector simply moved faster than she could react.

“Done yet?” the Velorian asked with a tilt of her head.

Adara looked down at the pistol and pressed one of the buttons on the handle with her thumb. “Fine. You win.” She dropped the gun to the ground and kicked it towards the Protector, watching it slide past the blonde warrior.

“The prudent choice.” the Velorian said smiling. She started to approach Adara, closing the distance between them in a few long strides.

“No...” Adara said sighing. “It’s the desperate choice.”

A quizzical look appeared on the Velorians face. “What do you mean by tha-” A loud humming noise cut her off as the discarded pistol exploded into a giant ball of super-heated plasma. The blast radius expanded in the blink of an eye and knocked both of them through the nearby wall and into an adjoining hallway.

On the verge of blacking out, Adara’s gaze drifted over towards her opponent, and spotted the woman on the floor, breathing but not moving. She forced herself to her feet. Taking in her surroundings, she noted a stairway at the end of the hallway leading up to the next level. Slowly she staggered down the hall and up the stairs. She knew she had to move the fast. The Protector had absorbed most of the blast but she wouldn’t be down for long.

Adara was out of breath by the time she had reached the rooftop. Her bodysuit had been burned by the blast and had begun to tear from her earlier scuffles. She had lost contact with the other members her team. Something had to have been jamming the signal. Each member had an individual assignment to carry out. And each one had a separate evacuation spot assigned for them. This rooftop was supposed to be Adara’s.

From a central point on the roofs landing pad Adara activated her locator beacon. All she could do was hold this position and pray her people extracted her. Nothing had gone according to plan. Communications had failed immediately, security patrols had been re-enforced, and the locals had a Velorian Protector spearheading the entire counter-insurgent effort.

So far Adara had dealt with the Velorian, but that was a temporary setback at the most. Overloading the GAR pistol had deprived her of her only sidearm,and had left the blonde super-fem virtually unharmed. All she knew for certain was that she had to be off this roof by the time her opponent awoke.

The static in her earpiece rang to life and then was replaced by the familiar voice of her commanding officer. “Operative 6, what is your status?”

“I am at the evac site...awaiting extraction...be advised...there is a Velorian Protector on site as well.” Adara replied.

There was a brief pause then an answer. “Noted. Gunship coming in hot then. Stand-by and hold your position.”

The building under Adara began to shake slightly as something was tearing through the upper floors masonry. The shock waves were getting stronger and closer with each passing crash. Then with a sudden burst of power and a storm of debris, the Velorian came flying through the middle of the rooftop, and hovered a few feet above the hole she had just made. Her head pivoted to the left and right scanning for her prey. When she spotted Adara, her face became a mask of pure rage. She flew over, but remained hovering in the air, and her eyes began glowing a bright red. “I am going to make these last few moments absolute misery for you...I keep my promises.”

Adara kept scanning the horizon,hoping for some kind of sign of the Commander. She started to back away from the enraged Protector, keeping her arms up in a guarded pose, for all the good it would do her. This woman would tear her too pieces and there was little Adara could with any supplies.

The Protector began to make a move when multiple heavy bursts of energy pelted her in the face, stomach, and legs. The force of the blasts sent the Belorian flying into the next building. When the light show was over Adara looked to where the shots had come from and saw the gunship slowly making its way over to her location.The aircraft loomed over for several seconds,and then the side access door slid open and the Commander and another Betan gunner stood next to her. The ship lowered it’s altitude,and Adara leaped aboard. The door slid shut and the craft made for high orbit as fast as possible.

Adara settled into her designated seat and audibly sighed. She had made it out in one piece. Feeling a small sense of pride, she gazed around to the other seats and saw all but the Commanders were empty. “What about the others?”

“Confirmed dead or missing.”came the Commanders brisk reply.

“What happened? This wasn’t supposed to be a high-risk mission...” Adara couldn’t believe the casualty rate would be so high. Six Betan operatives had gone in and she was the only one to come out alive.

“A Velorian Protector happened,” the Commander replied. “Do you have the data?”

Adara retrieved the data drive from her belts pouch. “Names and shipping information...all here.” She handed the drive to the Commamder.

The Commander took the drive and placed it in a pocket on her uniform. “Good work. When we get back to the base I want you to report for reassignment.”

Their species are genetic cousins, but Velorians and Arions developed into two very different kinds of cultures...As for the pessimist line, my dad told me that line when I was like 12 or 13...I don't know why it always stuck with me...